Iowa Legislature

The Business News Headlines 27 February 2020

Different day, same story on Wall Street as today the Dow sank by nearly 1,200 points. Meanwhile the president has shared some conflicting blames for the market headed downward.  Here's what we have for you today:
What is it the "Media" or the "Democrats"?
Facebook made a decision today;
The link between paid sick leave and coronavirus;
J.C. Penny missed some sales numbers;
Door Dash moving toward an IPO;
The Wall Street Report;
Loyalty clubs and your buying habits.
Those stories and we're turning the clock back several months for this conversation about Iowa and mental health. My guest is the Executive Director for NAMI-Iowa, Peggy Huppert.  And you can hear that conversation here.
Thanks for listening! 
 

The Business News Headlines 6 February 2020

Three things moved the markets higher today: China, Earnings and the Economics of the U.S.A. Here's what we've got for you today:
Cue Billy Joel - We've got the top 10 states where people are "Movin' Out";
A Blue Collar Boom?  Really?  We looked;
The Wall Street Report
Need a job? Amazon needs 15,000 workers;
Those "job hopping kids"!  Not so fast.
Those stories plus a new media story: Well known for her work covering politics in Iowa for the Des Moines Register Kathie Obradovich has moved on to a new challenge. Kathie is now the Editor-in-Chief for the new Iowa Capital Dispatch which carries the tagline: "Community Journalism for Democracy". Here we talk about that transition, where this idea started, who is in play and how fast it's spreading. Plus we'll chat a bit about Iowa politics and why transparency is so important in these days when trust is such a factor. Here is that interview.
Thanks for listening! 

The Business News 18 December 2019

It's the Mid-Week Edition of the Business News Headlines, thanks for coming by. You want to reach us on Twitter you can do that @IOB_NewsHour. In the news today:
Retailers are getting ready for Super Saturday;
Amazon is updating their return policy;
Oh, the pain of the "sloping toilet";
Lots of job creation but...no people and why;
Chances of being audited next year...are up;
The Wall Street Report in a word: "Sluggish";
Fast Food Workers get a gut punch.
Those stories plus a conversation with Brian Waller of the Technology Association of Iowa as we talk about that groups legislative priorities going into the 2020 legislative session. Technology is a big, very big, deal in Iowa and we'll talk about that here.
Thanks for listening! 

Legislative Priorities from the Technology Association of Iowa

Knowing that every business is, at it's core, about technology the Technology Association of Iowa has a list of legislative priorities they will be taking to legislators as the 2020 session begins in January. Here Brian Waller the TAI President talks about the four main issues and offers some background on:
The Iowan Project;
IDEA Funding;
Empower Rural Iowa and Future Ready Iowa;
Innovation Tax Credits & Angel Investor Tax Credits.
Click through to learn more from Brian...
The award winning Insight on Business the News Hour with Michael Libbie is the only weekday, hour-long business podcast in the Midwest. The national, regional and local business news along with long-form business interviews can be heard Monday - Friday. You can subscribe on Google Play, PlayerFM, Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or TuneIn Radio. And you can catch The Business News Hour Week in Review each Sunday at 2pm on News/Talk 1540 KXEL. The Business News Hour is a production of Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications. You can follow us on Twitter @IoB_NewsHour. 
Our Sponsors
AARP-Iowa
National Tractor Parts Dealer Association
Oasis - A Paychex Company
Tero International

The Business News Headlines 26 November 2019

It was another positive day on Wall Street fueled, in part, by retail numbers. Welcome to the Tuesday Edition of the Business News Headlines. Today:
Gender Neutral Dolls...it's a thing...sort of;
Amazon is getting major pushback;
China and surveillance and American companies;
Travel going to be dicy this holiday;
Super Bowl advertising revenue...a big number.
Also today an in-depth conversation with Dr. Corinne Peak-Asa from the University of Iowa about on-farm injuries as a workforce issue. It seems they may be under-reported, there are treatment questions, payment issues and public policy concerns. You can hear that conversation here. 
Thanks for listening! 

Fighting the High Cost of Prescription Drugs with Brad Anderson

The 360,000 members of AARP-Iowa are mad as hell and they don't mind talking about the high cost of prescription drugs. Here Brad Anderson the State Director for the organization talks about what's going on to convince federal and state leaders to get moving on a host of ways to lower the price of prescription drugs. One of the most impactful are the stories people are telling and, according to Brad, folks are not shy. And, if you want to tell your story he's listening.  
The award winning Insight on Business the News Hour with Michael Libbie is the only weekday, hour-long business podcast in the Midwest. The national, regional and local business news along with long-form business interviews can be heard Monday - Friday. You can subscribe on Google Play, PlayerFM, Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or TuneIn Radio. And you can catch The Business News Hour Week in Review each Sunday at 2pm on News/Talk 1540 KXEL. The Business News Hour is a production of Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications. You can follow us on Twitter @IoB_NewsHour. 
Our Sponsors
AARP-Iowa
National Tractor Parts Dealer Association
Oasis - A Paychex Company
Tero International

AARP-Iowa and the Des Moines City Council Elections

Recently AARP-Iowa held a candidate forum for the candidates running for the At-Large seat as well as the candidates running for Mayor. So, why would AARP-Iowa be involved? That's a good question and one I posed to Brad Anderson the State Director. Here we get hyper local about the issues these voters had and some overall impressions of the event. 
The award winning Insight on Business the News Hour with Michael Libbie is the only weekday, hour-long business podcast in the Midwest. The national, regional and local business news along with long-form business interviews can be heard Monday - Friday. You can subscribe on Google Play, PlayerFM, Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or TuneIn Radio. And you can catch The Business News Hour Week in Review each Sunday at 2pm on News/Talk 1540 KXEL. The Business News Hour is a production of Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications. You can follow us on Twitter @IoB_NewsHour. 
Our Sponsors
AARP-Iowa
National Tractor Parts Dealer Association
Oasis - A Paychex Company
Tero International

The Business News Headlines & More 24 October 2019

The markets struggled all day and in the end the Dow missed making it back to the flat-line. It's the business news headlines for Thursday the 24th day of October. And, we've got a shorter segment today because we've got a rare two-part interview with the current Mayor of the City of Des Moines, Iowa, Frank Cownie.  In the news:
What happened today on Wall Street;
Tesla is now the most valuable U.S. automaker;
Flight Shaming...it's a thing;
Twitter stock drops and we'll share why;
Pot profits...going up in smoke.
Those stories plus a two-part long form interview with Mayor Frank Cownie.  Mayor Cownie has served the city of Des Moines, Iowa for 16 years and he wants another four. I'll ask him why voters should reward him for that. Plus we'll talk about promises made and he says...kept. Here is Part One. 
Then in Part Two we'll talk about the water issue that impacts not only Des Moines but also the surrounding communities that buy water from the Des Moines Water Works. We'll also get into flooding, climate change and more.  Here is Part Two.
Thanks for listening! 

Meet Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie - Part One

A conversation with Mayor Frank Cownie, the longest serving mayor for the City of Des Moines, Iowa is running for re-election. Here in a two-part conversation we talk about what he has promised to do, what he has done, the issues that so many people care about. We also talk about hyper-local issues like potholes and the technology that he has implemented to connect citizens with their local government. So much to unpack here...click to listen.
The award winning Insight on Business the News Hour with Michael Libbie is the only weekday, hour-long business podcast in the Midwest. The national, regional and local business news along with long-form business interviews can be heard Monday - Friday. You can subscribe on Google Play, PlayerFM, Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or TuneIn Radio. And you can catch The Business News Hour Week in Review each Sunday at 2pm on News/Talk 1540 KXEL. The Business News Hour is a production of Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications. You can follow us on Twitter @IoB_NewsHour. 
Our Sponsors
AARP-Iowa
National Tractor Parts Dealer Association
Oasis - A Paychex Company
Tero International
 

Mayor Frank Cownie - The Interview Part Two

Here I continue my conversation with Mayor Frank Cownie and first ask him about the issues regarding water, water safety and the impact it has on not only the residents of Des Moines but the communities that are the customers of the Des Moines Water Works. So much inside to unpack on that issue and others. Click in to listen. 
The award winning Insight on Business the News Hour with Michael Libbie is the only weekday, hour-long business podcast in the Midwest. The national, regional and local business news along with long-form business interviews can be heard Monday - Friday. You can subscribe on Google Play, PlayerFM, Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or TuneIn Radio. And you can catch The Business News Hour Week in Review each Sunday at 2pm on News/Talk 1540 KXEL. The Business News Hour is a production of Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications. You can follow us on Twitter @IoB_NewsHour. 
Our Sponsors
AARP-Iowa
National Tractor Parts Dealer Association
Oasis - A Paychex Company
Tero International